With respect to the Flames recent trades, you missed Cory Stillman (now performing brilliantly for my hockey pool) and Jason Weimer (gritty forward who would be useful in Coach Sutter's new Calgary team) and Phil Housley (an old man, but one with skills). All three would help the team escape the mire it is in...

In the Buzek trade the Flames also sent defence prospect Kurtis Foster to the Thrashers. Foster played in the AHL All-Star game this year and at 6'4" and 220 plus looks a good bet to be an NHLer next year. He also has a shot that was timed at 2 mph faster that Al MacInnis'.

Other recent Flame departures have included Filip Kuba, JS Giguere, Martin St. Louis, and Marty Murray.

Al Coates made some good moves. He got Brathwaite from the NATIONAL TEAM for nothing, especially since EIGHT goalies went down that year...and because of Steady Freddie's AWESOME goaltending...we missed the playoffs by 4 points. 4. That's the closest the team's gotten. So, they trade for Turek just after Button takes over. Why? They needed a "name" goalie. I think Conroy for Stillman was a Coates deal, too. As was Andrei Nazarov for Jordan Leopold, which'll pay off in a couple years.

The point? The Flames need to come up with a long-term plan. Button trades away everyone the new coach (Greg Gilbert) doesn't like, so that he'll be happy long-term. Of course, these moves screw over the team, and the coach is fired and replaced with ANOTHER one. And the GM has to go around and retool the team for THIS COACH, instead of just having the coach shut the hell up and worry about coaching the players he does have.

GOD, I hope for the love of sweet God they don't trade Iginla. He's actually playing well now.